This article is my opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the entire staff at Pokéjungle. The bulk of this article is also available in Italian, here. Thank you to whoever it was that took the time to translate!
About me
With that out of the way, I shall now begin this article. My name is Kriffix, I’ve been translator here at Pokéjungle since the 5th Generation announcement. Back in the day, I would always aim to translate scans and leaks as fast and as accurately as possible. Our webmaster Paul (pokejungle) would then kindly host them here. This generation my role in delivering and translating info has become less significant due to the synchronised global release of news. In some cases, English language news has even hit first.
‘Fairy Type’ over ‘Light Type’
Just to clarify, I have always shrugged off theories of new types. Each new generation of Pokémon games has had a constant portion of the fanbase who would rush to the conclusion that there will be a new type, desperately backing up their theory with anything they could grab to use as evidence. There has always seemed to be a tendency for people to not be able to distinguish between what actually makes sense and what is simply their own wish for the series. Back when the Black and White mascot legendaries were revealed, there was mass speculation of a Light Type being introduced. I was never convinced, not even for a second. Why? Other than the fact Reshiram was white in colour, there was no evidence what so ever. People always seem to like the Light Type idea, they argue that it could be a contrast to Dark Type, though this doesn’t really make sense given that the Japanese name for Dark Type is not an appropriate opposite for “Light”. To be blunt, ‘Light’ just seems too broad of a concept that if it were actually ever to be implemented it would entirely uproot the Pokémon series as we know it, perhaps even starting it from scratch.
The introduction of a light type would affect too many existing Pokémon. I could never see Gamefreak taking away a type from a classic Pokémon, though adding a secondary type to previously mono-typed Pokémon is totally in the realm of possibility (as has been seen before with Magnemite). Which is why the whole Light Theory never really spoke to me. I knew that if there ever was to be a new type, it would have to affect as little existing Pokémon as possible. Which is why the Fairy Type theory seemed to click. Not including egg groups, the only Pokémon that are classified as ‘Fairy Pokémon’ are Clefairy and Snubbull, which are both mono-type Normal. Making them easily remedied with a new type in the future were it necessary.
Togetic and Togekiss, contrary to what some people seem to believe, will most likely never be changed to Fairy since they already have a second type. There also seem to be those who believe that, if Fairy is indeed real, all Pokémon in the Fairy egg group will be altered with the new type. I personally doubt this, but hey, who can actually say for sure?
What exactly is a Fairy Type? Getting over the prejudice
I see people bickering over the difference between Fairies, Nymphs, Sylphs, Pixies, Sprites etc. Arguing that they are all different things and should be treated as such. Well that’s all well and good, but it is important that we bare in mind that that it is a Japanese company calling the shots here. I’m afraid that the cries for order in this chaos will most likely be ignored. As you are aware, the Japanese language will use English words and add their own spin to them. Often not distinguishing between our precious borders that dictate the use of one word over another. Before we complain though, we must remember we too butcher the Japanese language. Such as what we consider to be a Geisha, and even the word we use to refer to a certain something you wouldn’t like your parents to see on your browser history.
Moving on, I keep seeing comments like “Fairies are so girly!” or “uncool”!
Firstly, my initial reaction to this is: “Wow, that sounds like it came right out of the mouth of an insecure pre-teen in a playground whilst being overly conscious of their contemporary 10 year olds”. It was then that I realised that this was most likely the case. The Pokémon Series would never add anything so girly or un-masculine you say? What exactly do you call Gardevoir, Melloetta, or even the cute fan favourite of Pikachu? I don’t think there’s a Macho Brace in existence that’s effective enough to remedy these Pokémon.
I don’t even know where to begin dissecting these kind of comments. But I’ll start with this. There are many Pokémon fans who are girls, and would fit the traditional demograph of what a fairy type may well be. More importantly though, why do you have to be a girl to like a Fairy Pokémon? Plenty of guys use use feminine Pokémon, is that a crime? It’s quite Ironic me saying this actually, since looking at my party, my Pokémon just so happen to be pretty masculine, minus perhaps Whimsicott. But it had to be said anyway. Let’s keep the ignorance towards people’s tastes and hobbies to a minimum here. Pokémon is all about variation. If there’s a Pokémon that you like, you use it, if there’s a Pokémon you don’t like, you don’t use it. Simple, no?
Xerneas is said to be a fairy type. Does this fit what you imagine a fairy to be? Most likely not. The Japanese word for ‘fairy’ however is a little broader than the modern English (perhaps closer to the traditional English meaning). It can be something quite spiritual. As anyone who has seen Princess Mononoke may tell you, Xerneas resembles the spirit of the forest. This was most likely because it was based on Norse Mythology. Basically what I’m trying to get at here is that Fairy Type may well encompass a lot more than what the Disney-esque concept of fairies may have us believe. Staying open minded and not damning something from the get-go just because you don’t like the sound of it is always a wise way to go. Let’s keep this in mind.
Stay neutral, stay having fun with Pokémon
People’s prejudice is often the source of why they don’t enjoy newer instalments of the Pokémon games. For example, when Stunfisk was revealed people hated it, many of you probably still do. Regardless of this it has found its fans. In Japan Stunfisk goods are everywhere, there are slippers, cushions, biscuits, you name it. I’ve seen an entire isle of goods dedicated to Stunfisk. Yet when it was first leaked online, all people could say was “Herpity Derp!”. Perhaps so, but does that not have its own charm? What if Slowpoke was introduced in a later generation? It would probably have received the exact same warm welcome from the fans as poor Stunfisk did. Fairy Type may not appeal to everyone just now, but let’s say that for the sake of the argument that it is real, you’re probably going to find something you like in it eventually. Many of you already have with Sylveon.
Signs are Pointing at a New Type
As I have stated earlier, I did not believe in previous generations that there was a new type. So why now do I suddenly change my mind? The answer is due to the precedence in Eevee evolutions. Eevee is meant to represent something neutral that can adapt to any type. Consequently its evolutions represent the type they are. They are practically the embodiment of what ever type they are, with no room to interpret otherwise. So then, I ask, just why is it that we all debate about Sylveon’s type so much? The fact that we are arguing in the first place is a hint that it is not something that can be clearly defined by the current set of types that there are. Imagine for a second that there was going to be a new flying or Dragon evolution for Eevee. Would you have pictured it to look how Sylveon looks? Probably not. Can you honestly say that Sylveon is the embodiment of what a flying, Dragon or Normal type is? Admittedly it’s colour scheme matches many normal types, but its complexity suggests that there is something more to it.
Gamefreak has never revealed (by which I mean named and with Sugimori art) a non legendary in CoroCoro before that has not had it’s type clarified along with it. There is a reason behind why they are trying to hide its type. The signs seem to be pointing to a new type.
Our Source of Information
The source claiming that there will be a Fairy Type has provided information for us in the past. His name is Hiro, and he works for the official Nintendo Magazine of Spain. Last generation he revealed Purloin with his fanart of it mere hours before it was revealed on Pokémon Smash (well, Pokémon Sunday at the time). He did this to gain the trust of various major webmasters, who then went on to believe him. Additionally, Melkor, who also helped out at Nintendo magazine and contrary to rumours was in fact not fired from it also revealed many 5th generation Pokémon to us, all of which turned out to be 100% true. Though Melkor says he is not entirely informed about everything this generation, he does state that Hiro is probably telling the truth. He seems to believe it enough to add Fairy Type to his Pokémon type chart, which is a pretty bold statement indeed. It is likely that Melkor, being a lawyer, is trying to avoid outright saying Fairy Type is real as he will have to go through the same hassle that he went through back in generation 5 from The Pokémon Company International. Melkor is a clever guy indeed, though sometimes it is important to read between the lines to comprehend his actions. On one hand he may be saying “I don’t know”, but on the other he’s adding Fairy Type to his chart. His site is practically the Spanish equivalent of Serebii, which means a lot of responsibility rests on him in terms of what to post and what not to.
Though getting Back to Hiro, our current leaker, we have no solid reason to distrust him. He has informed us correctly before and has so much to lose in terms of credit if what he is suggesting is just lies. Looking at 4chan etc, people seem to distrust him despite knowing what he’s done for us in the past. Again, I think people who dislike the idea of Fairy Type, who are not willing to consider exactly how broad of a type it actually could be, are ignoring Hiro’s existing achievements in favour of their own taste in what should and shouldn’t be a Pokémon . Hiro has worked hard to establish the trust and respect he has at this point in time, would he really throw it all away for 5 more minutes of fame? I somehow don’t see this as likely.
Last generation, I doubted Melkor and Hiro’s “leaks” to the bitter end. I mean, come on, “sorry, we can’t show you anything official but here’s some fanart of new Pokémon lololol” was pretty suspicious right? But boy, was I every wrong about them. I’ve learnt my lesson this time round though, and feel it wiser to trust them. What’s more, this time they have concrete past achievements supporting them. It’s much safer to trust them this time than last time.
Promises of More Leaks in the Future
Hiro has teased that he may reveal the final types of the starter evolutions. If he does decide to do this, you can bet that we will be posting it here right away. Remember, the more he reveals the more we have to use to see whether he is telling the truth or not. More information from official sources will probably be occurring monthly from now on, once one of Hiro’s leaks have been either officially confirmed or disproved, knowing who to trust should become much easier.
Will you be drinking my tears?
Possibly. It could go either way. It’s just that some of the reasoning behind why people believe there will be no fairy type was based on preference or taste, rather than logic or how reliable the sources have been up until now.
That being said, there are in fact some valid arguments as to why there may be no Fairy, it’s just that I feel that the pro-fairy argument is a stronger one.
Q&A
If you have any questions, just post them below and I’ll try to answer them. If it is a particularly interesting question or statement then I’ll post it here in the article and give my take on it. I’ll start off with a few common messages I’ve seen floating around. Click the Spoiler below to read them.
[spoiler]1:“Why would they add Fairy-Type now? It’s so late into the franchise”
Kriffix: “Why not? Why would Gamefreak not keep their core product interesting and new when they feel it has become necessary to do so? GameFreak has a lot less clear patterns in their decisions than there seems to be, as soon as they establish one and we think we’ve come to understand it, they have often destroyed it to keep us on our toes (e.g. No Pokémon Gray)”.
2. Why would they make such a girly type?
Kriffix:Pokémon has an enormous fan base, there are plenty of people who will like it. As well as there being girls, there are also many men who would be quite happy to raise a Fairy-Type Pokémon. Try not to be too limited in your way of thinking.
3.Can you 100% confirm that Fairy Type is real?
Kriffix: No.
4.How sure are you then?
Kriffix: Fairly. Hence I’m writing this article. At the very least there is just too much evidence to entirely ignore the possibility.[/spoiler]